Ten small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been selected for the 2023 ANZ Business Growth Program, an initiative aimed at helping businesses expand. The program, developed by Professor Jana Matthews of the Australian Centre for Business Growth at UniSA-Business, is a nine-month course designed for companies with fewer than 200 employees and over $5 million in annual sales.
Isaac Rankin, Managing Director Commercial and Private Banking at ANZ, emphasized the importance of supporting business growth: “Helping our customers start, run and sustainably grow a business is core to what we do at ANZ." He highlighted that this year's participants were chosen based on their financial performance and willingness to learn. The selection includes businesses from agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, and industrial equipment sectors.
Dr. Jana Matthews noted the potential for high growth among participants: “We believe that each CEO and each company we select has the potential for high growth.” She also mentioned that 98% of past participants recommend the program to others. Since its inception in 2014, graduates have reportedly generated significant revenue and job creation.
The program requires CEOs/MDs to involve two members of their executive teams in structured modules featuring mentoring from experienced Growth Experts. These experts are current or former CEOs who have successfully scaled their own companies.
The ten participating businesses include Foamex, Integrated Industrial Group, Green Endeavour, Young Folk Co., Freycinet Marine Farm, Agboss Australia Pty Ltd., Ndevr Environmental, BreedELITE, Cairns Adventure Group, and Global Machinery Sales. Each company operates across diverse industries such as construction materials manufacturing, resource sector supply solutions, fresh produce distribution, food and beverage services, aquaculture operations, advanced manufacturing in agriculture products, climate change advisory services focusing on sustainability transitions; sheep farming technology solutions; adventure tourism; and machinery sales for arboriculture and forestry sectors.
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